Food, family and memories are as intertwined in the South as if woven on the same thread. At any function we attend, from a party to a wedding to a funeral, we are as likely to talk as much about the food that was there, as we are about why we are gathered. ~Mary Foreman

I'm your cook, not your doctor. ~PAULA DEEN

I found out what the secret to life is: friends. Best friends. ~Ninny Threadgoode

Monday, August 10, 2009

An old fashioned chicken pot pie, made with a thick & creamy roux & veggies, encased in a flaky double crust.

Old Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie

A couple of food bloggers here recently near about apologized for posting dishes that they had been having tastes for, but that some people might consider a fall or winter dish. I don't even remember what it was now, but that doesn't matter. What struck me was that, well, if I have a taste for a certain dish, a craving if you will, I'm gonna make it, no matter the time of year! It's just silly I tell you, because frankly, Down South, we have pretty much one season 90% of the time. Hot.

Such was the reason for me making a chicken pie - something that I suppose some folks would consider to be a dish more geared toward the latter part of the year. I still have plenty of chicken in the freezer and for several weeks now I have simply been craving a chicken pot pie! So I finally got around to making one, and I could care less whether it's August or not. Who cares! I had a taste for it, and that's all the reason I need to cook something.

Now unlike some folks, y'all know I don't have a thing against condensed soups. Heck, they are a Southern Staple in many casseroles, including in this southern cook's collection, and rightly so! They make a quick and easy sauce. But just like a banana pudding made with homemade custard versus one made with pudding, while both are good, you really can't beat the homemade custard, I don't care who ya are.

And that's what makes this chicken pie so darned good, a fresh roux, seasoned just right, and finished with some good chicken stock and half and half. {whispers} Sssshh.... don't tell nobody, but this recipe has actually beat out a few grandma recipes. When I don't make my own homemade pie crust - which frankly is pretty darned easy with a food processor - I also only use the Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts - no generic in this kitchen - been there, done that. Unlike the generics, Pillsbury pie crusts are reliable, consistent and simply an excellent product, tender & flaky and instantly available. Speaking of pie crusts...

Have y'all seen these press/pat in the pan pie crusts? Well, I have to say that I did try those a couple times and no offense to those of you who love them, but that was about the worse possible excuse for a pie crust that I've ever seen. I suppose if you're just looking for something to hold your pie up it's okay, but to me, if a pie crust isn't tender and flaky, it ruins the whole recipe! You can take the extra step to make your own - if you're up to it, of course. It's really not hard I promise!

I adapted my recipe to use the chicken I had on hand, but of course this is best when you boil down a whole chicken, debone it and use the chicken and the stock off of that, but as written it's delicious and a bit speedier as well. Even still, this recipe does take a little bit of prep because you're essentially pre-cooking the filling, so I've tried to organize the recipe so that you can move along step by step, and hopefully that will help, but trust me. It is worth every single second. The flavor of this chicken pot pie is just spot on. Enjoy!

Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Chop the potatoes into small cubes and place into a microwave safe dish. Cook on high for about 2-1/2 minutes or until tender. Set aside. In another microwave safe dish, add the carrots and peas; microwave on high for about 2 minutes, or until tender. Add to the potatoes.

In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium heat; add the flour in a tablespoon at a time, stirring in before adding the next. Cook, stirring constantly until mixture is bubbly and there are no remaining lumps, about 5 minutes. Slowly begin to incorporate the chicken stock, stirring vigorously until fully incorporated. Add in the seasonings and stir in well. Remove from the heat, add the salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme. Stir in the half and half until smooth.

Stir the chicken into the cream mixture, then add the potatoes, the carrots and peas; mix well. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Unroll one of the pie crusts and place into a 9-inch, ungreased deep dish, glass pie plate. Gently press the crust down into the bottom and edges of the pie plate. Pour the hot filling into the crust and top with the remaining crust, tucking the top crust up under the edges of the bottom crust. Flute the edges and cut vents into the top of the crust.

Bake immediately at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes. Remove and place strips of foil around the edges of the crust to prevent overbrowning. Return to oven for an additional 15 to 25 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

Cook's Notes: Use a deep dish pie plate for this recipe. Make sure that the oven is preheated and at temperature before filling the pie crust, because you want to fill the pie, top it and put it into the oven immediately to bake.

Biscuit Topping: Prepare the filling as above, eliminate the pie crusts and make a batter using 1-1/2 cups of all purpose flour, whisked together with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder. Stir in 1/2 cup of milk, blend together and add 1/4 cup of butter that has been melted. Pour batter on top and bake at 425 degrees F for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until crust browns.

Cornbread Topping: Prepare the filling as above, eliminate the pie crusts and make a batter whisking together 1 cup of all purpose cornmeal, 1 cup of all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Add 1 cup of half and half or whole milk, 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of melted and cooled butter and 2 large eggs. Pour batter on top and bake at 425 degrees F for for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until crust browns.

Mini Hand Pies: Use a small ramekin to cut out circles, approximately 4 inches in size. Let the filling cool before spooning several tablespoons of filling into each circle, folding over and sealing the edges. Cut vents into each pie and bake in a preheated 425 degree oven on a Silpat or parchment covered baking sheet, approximately 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and filling is hot.

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This is an amazing looking pot pie, Mary! This is serious comfort food in our house.I don't cook pot pie in the summer though, because my husband works in the heat. He just doesn't feel like eating it when he's so hot. But, I'm beginning to crave it and am looking forward to some cooler weather so I can indulge! If it were just me, I'd be making this now!

oh girl, this looks so good....my husband saw the picture while I was viewing your blog..."make that"he said....so I will, when there is a chill in the air.....coming soon.....:) I know you said pillsbury pie crust, but do you have a recipe when you feel like fiddlen with pie dough..? I am a poor pie crust maker..I have a good recipe it tastes good..but boy it is an ugly pie...hee hee....I am a bread person...I don't feezeup with those like I do the pie crust....

This pot pie is the best I've had. I did lighten it up with 1% milk and it was still plenty creamy & DELISH. I made it as "comfort" for my friends who are new empty nesters. They raved about the fresh rosemary flavor. Mary you keep putting out winners!

Gina and Barbie, thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a comment. It means the world to me when somebody does that after trying a recipe. I LOVE this pot pie and I'm ready for some myself - despite this summer heat. Sometimes comfort food beats out the heat doesn't it?! Thanks again!!

I left an answer on Facebook but you really can't get that crispy crust you start with when you reheat, no tips that I know of at least except for re-baking it, which will overbake your crust. We rarely have leftovers of this pie, or not much at least, but if we do I just reheat it. I do like the Pillsbury dough though - it seems to do well with reheating.

Now, what you could do is freeze the filling and cut out mini pie doughs, stack with wax paper or parchment paper between them, or roll those up and freeze them too. Then when you want more pies thaw!

You could also make little mini pies and freeze them too. Make the filling, use what you want, then set aside the rest of the filling to cool completely. Assemble the pies for the freezer, poke slits in the top, wrap well and freeze them unbaked. The bottom crust is going to be a little softer than usual but it's still good.

Potatoes aren't great candidates for freezing usually, but in a pot pie filling they don't seem to suffer too much, so long as they are chopped small.

I made this over the weekend and absolutely LOVED it! I don't know if I measured wrong, but I ended up having to use a 13x9 dish and that was full to the brim as well. Also, I peeled the potatoes and they took about 6 minutes instead of 2.5 minutes. LOVE this recipe (and many others) and will definitely make this again. Thanks for all your inspiring ideas and for making it easy for novices like me to cook a good meal! ;-)

Hi Mary.. I patiently waited for turkey leftover meat and decided to use your Chicken Pot Pie Recipe to make turkey pot pies........OMG!! !It is delicious. I love your pastry recipe, It is the first time in my life I have not struggled making pastry crusts. I have tried your recipe 2 times and 2 times it was successful. Thank you for teaching this old gal how to cook delicious foods. amy2_20038@yahoo.com, Not sure how to use your comment apparatus, don't mean to go anonymous,but nothing else works for me.

Posting anonymous is fine, though I do turn that function off occasionally because I get fed up with the spam that follows with opening up for anony comments. Anyway, I'm thrilled to hear you enjoyed my pot pie & thank you for taking the time to stop by and let me know!

Making and enjoying this is one of the best parts of winter, other than… it’s over. Last time I had a hankerin’ for chicken pot pie, I was short on time and bought Marie Calender’s. I won’t do that again. It was like a salt lick with a hint of chicken and some other indiscernible mushy things. My shortcuts usually consist of Pillsbury deep dish pie crusts and for the liquid, I sometimes cheat and use some reduced sodium cream of mushroom soup. It makes for a pretty decent pie. Your way, however, is almost exactly the way my grandmother taught me how to make it over 50 years ago. Thank you. God bless.

I have a little shortcut filling I like too, but you sure can't beat one from scratch! I hope that you give it a try. I do hate to hear that about Marie Calender's though. I've tried them before a long time back and they were pretty good but manufacturers are adding so much salt to everything these days it's really overwhelming. I guess they are making up for removing preservatives but whew! Hope you try this & please let me know what you think!

Thank you Kathy! I'm so glad that the kids enjoyed the pot pie - I have a couple of those picky grandbabies myself. Thank you for taking the time to come back by and let me know you enjoyed the recipe - I really appreciate it!!

Thanks for taking the time to comment - I love hearing from readers and I read every single comment and try to respond to them right here on the site, so stop back by!

From time to time, anonymous restrictions and/or comment moderation may be activated due to comment spam. I also reserve the right to edit, delete or otherwise exercise total editorial discretion over any comments left on this blog.

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The classic southern plate for supper is made up of meat and three, cornbread or rolls & a tall glass of sweet iced tea.

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